Padres Press Clips. Monday, October 22, Article Source Author Pg. Nine starting pitchers the Padres could pursue this winter The Athletic Lin 2

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1 Padres Press Clips Monday, October 22, 2018 Article Source Author Pg. Nine starting pitchers the Padres could pursue this winter The Athletic Lin 2 Offseason leagues: Reed, Potts start fast in AFL SD Union Tribune Sanders 6 Former Padres Catcher Brad Ausmus Named Angels' New Manager NBC 7 Beacham 9 1

2 Nine starting pitchers the Padres could pursue this winter By Dennis Lin, The Athletic The siren song of free agency will start again in a matter of days, Nov. 1 at the latest. Shortly after the Boston Red Sox or the Los Angeles Dodgers end the postseason in a dogpile, scores of players across Major League Baseball will be able to choose their uniform for And while position players Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will control much of the headlines, San Diego s attention seems likely to be focused on a different kind of arms race. Padres starters submitted a 5.09 ERA this year, the quickest explanation for another listless season. It was not unexpected; for a third consecutive season, the staff was filled with youth and castoffs from other organizations. Still, it rated as a major disappointment; despite all the talent in the farm system, the Padres continue to lack a bankable arm in their big-league rotation. In time, Joey Lucchesi or Eric Lauer could develop into something approaching that. Scouts hold higher hopes for Chris Paddack and Logan Allen, prospects likely to debut in the upcoming season. Behind them, MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patiño are two of the planet s elite teenage pitchers. Yet hype surrounding minor leaguers tends to grow stale after a while. Officials around baseball agree that the Padres need to show something in 2019, a year before they hope to legitimately contend. The most obvious path to improvement runs through the rotation. One obstacle is a relatively thin crop of signable starting pitchers. Aside from Clayton Kershaw, there will be few aces available. (And Kershaw, who faces an opt-out decision, might not be available.) Which arms could the Padres target, either in free agency or trade? Let s take a look at nine possibilities, listed in alphabetical order: RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox Earliest free agency: 2019 Opening day age: salary: $2 million Eovaldi has raised his stock as much as any pending free agent. The two-time Tommy John patient is throwing harder than ever, mixing in a nasty cutter and 2

3 excelling on a national stage; through three postseason appearances for the Red Sox, he owns a 1.88 ERA. Eovaldi s services will be in high demand following the World Series, especially since he will be a rare under-30 commodity on the open market. The Padres should be interested, but so should every other team seeking pitching. RHP Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers Earliest free agency: 2023 Opening day age: salary: $575,200 The Padres inquired about Fulmer before the right-hander suffered an oblique strain in July. Fulmer returned after the trade deadline before succumbing to season-ending knee surgery. Suitors this winter will weigh concerns about Fulmer s durability against his enviable stuff and four remaining years of control. The rebuilding Tigers would require a lot to part with the 25-year-old, but that won t stop teams like the Padres from asking. LHP Gio González, Milwaukee Brewers Earliest free agency: 2019 Opening day age: salary: $12 million González has alternated effective seasons with subpar campaigns in recent years, but he remains a mostly dependable option; in eight of the last nine seasons, the veteran lefty has started at least 31 games. With that type of track record, González would bring some measure of certainty to a young rotation. At 33, however, he likely will seek more than one or two years. RHP Sonny Gray, New York Yankees Earliest free agency: 2020 Opening day age: salary: $6.5 million Gray, the new poster child for change-of-scenery candidates, has been a massive disappointment in the Bronx, prompting general manager Brian Cashman to openly advertise his availability. This season, the former Oakland stalwart received a demotion to the bullpen and posted a 5.26 ERA in his starts. Owing to recent performance and contract status, Gray should not cost much. The Padres have had success with similar reclamation projects in the past, and Gray could re-emerge as a valued trade chip. Something to consider: Cashman s shrewder moves include jettisoning Bryan Mitchell last winter; the Padres have been stuck with the bill. 3

4 LHP Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros Earliest free agency: 2019 Opening day age: salary: $13.2 million In what so far looks like a lopsided agreement, mega-agent Scott Boras convinced the Padres to pay $144 million for Eric Hosmer just 10 months ago. Such an experience seemingly makes the Padres an unlikely candidate to mount a serious pursuit of Keuchel, another of Boras touted clients. That said, a few other players represented by Boras had to settle for clubfriendly deals last winter as other teams wised up. Keuchel, reliable but no longer regarded as a No. 1 starter, might not command an extravagant payday. If a robust market fails to develop, the Padres could make a bid. LHP Yusei Kikuchi, Seibu Lions Earliest free agency: 2019 Opening day age: 27 Over the weekend, the Lions announced that Kikuchi, one of the top pitchers in Japan, will be permitted to move to the majors if he asks to be posted. Kikuchi logged a 2.81 ERA over eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, averaging eight strikeouts per nine. His repertoire, scouts say, could play in the middle of a big-league rotation. Kikuchi has a connection to Padres reliever Kazuhisa Makita, a former Lions teammate. But given his youth, Kikuchi is likely to draw widespread interest. (And, for what it s worth, the Padres could cut ties with Makita after he struggled in his debut season.) The Dodgers appear to be a strong candidate; Kikuchi idolizes Kershaw, who could re-sign with Los Angeles even if he does opt out. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers Earliest free agency: 2019 Opening day age: salary: $7.833 million Ryu was the Dodgers most effective starter this season, notching a 1.97 ERA in 82 1/3 innings. The latter number also is representative of his lengthy injury history; Ryu, who has undergone shoulder and elbow surgeries, missed significant time this year because of a groin tear. Agent Boras, of course, will emphasize the relative freshness of Ryu s arm; since he came over from Korea in 2013, he has thrown fewer than 600 innings, 4

5 postseason included. Padres executive Logan White was involved in the Dodgers signing of Ryu. RHP Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays Earliest free agency: 2021 Opening day age: salary: $6.5 million Unable to keep pace in the American League East, the Blue Jays are rebuilding. To rivals hoping to capitalize, Stroman fits the desired mold of a talented young starter with multiple years of control. Stroman followed his excellent 2017 by logging a 5.54 ERA in 19 starts, but he remains a favorite of some scouts due to his stuff and competitiveness. The Blue Jays would like to cut their payroll, which opened above $160 million this year, but it remains to be seen if they are willing to deal Stroman. RHP Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets Earliest free agency: 2022 Opening day age: salary: $2.975 million The Padres engaged in trade talks involving Syndergaard this summer, and those discussions likely will resume over the winter. Despite being limited to 32 starts since 2016, Syndergaard offers a triple-digit fastball, a track record that includes stretches of dominance, and three years of control. Teammate Zack Wheeler also wields a combination of power and upside, but there is the matter of the Mets complicating potential deals by being, well, the Mets. New York is currently seeking a general manager who must possess the fortitude to work for a reviled ownership group. 5

6 Offseason leagues: Reed, Potts start fast in AFL Jeff Sanders The Texas League significantly challenged Buddy Reed and Hudson Potts after both hit their way out of the California League this summer. Both Padres prospects are stretching their legs early in the Arizona Fall League. The 19-year-old Potts is among league leaders in total bases (12) six games into his stay in the prospect finishing school, pairing a homer and seven RBIs with a.259/.286/.444 batting line through his first 28 plate appearances. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Reed s eight hits in his first five games has staked him to a healthy.364/.391/.364 batting line through is first 23 plate appearances. Before his promotion to the Texas League, Reed paired a.324/.371/.549 batting line with 12 homers and 33 steals as a California League All-Star and an All-Star Futures Game rep. He hit.179/.227/.235 with one homer and 18 steals in 43 games with Double-A San Antonio. Likewise, Potts productive run through the California League.281/.350/.498, 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 106 games gave way to growing pains in the Texas League, where he hit.154/.258/.231 in 22 games. Potts is ranked No. 23 in the Padres system by MLB.com and Reed is ranked No. 13. ROUNDUP Arizona Fall League C Austin Allen (San Antonio) is 4-for-14 with a double and two RBIs in his four games with Peoria. He has walked twice and struck out three times. 6

7 RHP Miguel Diaz (El Paso) has started two games (1-0), posting a 2.57 ERA, five strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP in a team-high seven innings. He has walked two batters. LHP Travis Radke (San Antonio) has struck out seven and walked six in his first 4 1/3 innings (2.08 ERA). RHP Dauris Valdez (San Antonio) has turned in three scoreless innings and RHP Hansel Rodriguez (Lake Elsinore) has allowed two runs in two innings. Dominican winter league Fernando Tatis is managing Estrellas this year, which drafted his son Fernando Tatis Jr. into the organization last winter. Tatis, the No. 1 prospect in the Padres system, has not yet started his winterball campaign. 3B Diego Goris (El Paso) is 3-for-8 with two RBIs through his first two games with Aguilas. RHP Eric Yardley (El Paso) has thrown two scoreless innings for Cibao. 2B Esteury Ruiz (Fort Wayne) is 3-for-7 with two steals for Este. CF Jeisson Rosario (Fort Wayne) is 0-for-2 with a strikeout for Licey. Venezuelan winter league OF Edward Olivares (Lake Elsinore) is 7-for-21 with two homers, four RBIs and two steals in five games for Aragua. SS Reinaldo Ilarraza (Fort Wayne) is also playing for Aragua and is 4-for-9 through his first three games. RHP Pedro Avila (Lake Elsinore) struck out five and scattered two hits and a walk in four scoreless innings in a Thursday start for Margarita. SS Gabrial Aras (Fort Wayne) is 4-for-16 with a steal, five strikeouts and three walks in six games for La Guaira. Mexican winter league RHP Chris Huffman (El Paso) allowed four runs on five hits and four walks in six innings in his first start for Los Mochis. 7

8 RHP Gerardo Reyes (San Antonio) has three strikeouts through two scoreless innings for Obregon 8

9 Former Padres Catcher Brad Ausmus Named Angels' New Manager By Greg Beacham Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager on Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia. General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as his special assistant last season. Contract terms were not released. Ausmus will be introduced at Angel Stadium on Monday. Ausmus, a resident of Del Mar, was a player and front office executive for the San Diego Padres. He was a catcher for the Padres from 1993 to Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories. After finishing for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons for the first time since Los Angeles has played only three postseason games in the past nine seasons, losing them all to Kansas City in 2014 after winning the AL West. While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers, the 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift from Scioscia, who was widely perceived as an old-school manager despite his public embrace of new baseball mentalities. After Scioscia's departure three weeks ago, Eppler said he wanted the Angels' new manager to be well-versed in analytics and probability-based decision-making. "Ultimately, Brad's balance of connectivity, communication and leadership skills, as well as his understanding of evolving strategies and probabilistic approach to decision-making, led us to him," Eppler said in a statement. "We believe his 9

10 knowledge, drive and growth-mindset will allow him to integrate seamlessly with our players and staff and will be pivotal in advancing our culture and moving us toward our goals as an organization." Before joining the Angels' front office, Ausmus worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from He then spent four seasons as the Detroit Tigers' manager from The Tigers won 90 games and the AL Central during his first season but went just in his tenure. His contract wasn't renewed after the Tigers went in 2017, embarking on a franchise rebuild during the season. He joined the Angels' front office last November, filling the same role held in 2016 by Bud Black, who had been hired to manage the Colorado Rockies. Earlier in the day, the Cincinnati Reds hired David Bell as their new manager. The Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays still have managerial openings. Ausmus played 18 major league seasons with four franchises as a catcher, including 10 years with the Houston Astros before his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers in The Dartmouth graduate is 11th in baseball history with 1,766 games started as a catcher, and he is third in baseball history among catchers with 12,839 putouts. Ausmus takes charge at a key point for the big-budget Angels, who have missed the playoffs in four consecutive seasons and haven't won a postseason game since Mike Trout has two seasons remaining on his current contract, and the Angels likely need to build a championship contender to keep their franchise player happy. Ausmus also must lead the Angels' efforts to maximize the success of Shohei Ohtani, who won't pitch next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. 10

11 And Ausmus must maximize the effectiveness of slugger Albert Pujols, who will be 39 years old when he returns next year for the eighth season of his massive 10-year contract. Ausmus' Angels will have the benefit of a farm system that has improved markedly during Eppler's three seasons in charge. The Angels hadn't hired a new manager since November 1999, when Scioscia took over a franchise that had made only three playoff appearances in 39 seasons of existence. Scioscia ushered in the Angels' golden age in 2002 when he led a wild card playoff team to the title, beating the San Francisco Giants in a seven-game World Series. The Angels made six playoff appearances in an eight-year stretch, winning five AL West titles. But after reaching the ALCS in 2009, the Angels have had just one 90-win campaign and one playoff appearance in the ensuing nine seasons. 11